Twitch is removing a much-loved feature and the community is furious

Editorial: Gaming / Facebook / Twitter / Youtube / Instagram / News / Discord /Telegram / Google news

Growing and succeeding on Twitch is a complicated task, and in many cases impossible. It is clear that both small and medium streamers need all the tools possible to stand out and get an audience. Therefore, it is disappointing to learn that the platform will remove a much-loved feature that ultimately serves that purpose.

In case you don’t know, on Twitch there is a feature known as Host ― Accommodation/Host in Spanish ― that allows content creators to feature accounts of other personalities on their channels when they are offline. The goal is to redirect viewers visiting a offline channel to someone else’s stream.

Thus, many streamers use this feature to promote smaller channels or their friends’ channels when they are off camera. However, the streaming platform will dispense with this system as of October 3 of this year, a decision that generated mixed opinions on social networks.

Related Video: Twitch Hacked! Why did they do it?

Why will Twitch remove Host Mode?

In an update to the “How to use Host mode” section of its home page, the streaming platform announced that it will remove the feature because it “does not match expectations” of users.

“We made the decision to deprecate this feature because the experience it provides to viewers does not match their expectations when they visit Twitch. Viewers want to interact with the streamer when they are live and Host mode blocks this. Preventing users from interacting with the streamer they watch also limits growth potential [del streamer] because they can’t make meaningful connections with those new viewers.”

In case you missed it: The cereal no longer leaves: Toño the Tiger will become a Twitch streamer

Certainly, the streaming platform has a point. While this feature allows users to view a live broadcast from a person’s offline channel, they cannot interact in chat unless they visit the hosted broadcast. Thus, the Raid feature, which allows content creators to transfer all of their viewers to another channel, became much more popular.

Chris Gamble, a former Twitch developer, shared his opinion and stated that this feature stopped being really useful a long time ago. “Host mode was a great and important feature for its time, but it hasn’t been relevant for years,” he commented on Twitter.

Hosting was a great and important feature for it’s time, but it hasn’t been relevant for years now. Please think of it fondly and remember the good times, but do not worry about it’s retirement. I promise you, you’ll barely notice it’s gone.

— Fugi (@Fugiman) September 7, 2022

Even so, the decision generated mixed opinions. Dozens of users and content creators have already expressed their discontent and concern on social networks about the closure of the function, which has been active since 2014. It is worth noting that Twitch will replace the “Autohost” with a system known as Suggested Channels, the which will allow streamers to share a list of recommended channels.

Raiding =\= Hosting, @Twitch.

I raid after I am immediately done streaming & want to continue the vibes elsewhere.

I host when I’m currently not live so my unused channel clicks to someone that IS live for more engagement.

This was a highly unnecessary decision. https://t.co/Ptk450Oy0a

— CB ➔ DRAGONCON! (@CriticalBard) September 6, 2022

“Viewers want to interact with Streamers, but they can’t when they’re only hosted”
So instead of making it interactable (letting me write in someone’s chat while watching through a hosting channel) they remove hosting all together and making it harder for me to join their stream.

— Titan Kämpfer (@TitanKaempfer) September 6, 2022

I don’t get it it’s like they’re doing everything in their power to just update things for the worse

— Classify ? (@Class) September 6, 2022

my brother in christ why would you get rid of such a good feature for smaller streamers pic.twitter.com/PTXCe9czAZ

— im a weirdo (@arseneglimmers) September 6, 2022

As someone who has ABSOLUTELY discovered multiple streamers through hosts, this is upsetting! Twitch seems to be making decisions that negatively effect small creators and they just don’t care. I’m hoping they implement something to replace hosting

— ViolentKitt3n ?? (@Vi0lentK1tt3n) September 6, 2022

But tell us, what do you think of this situation? Do you think the platform made a good decision? Let us read you in the comments.

Click here to read more news related to Twitch.

Related video: Hot Tub, ASMR and bans? We explain what is happening on Twitch

Source 1 Y two